


On a Small Farm in Michigan

by AnnaTheHank



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, they are the cutest couple fight me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-18 15:44:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17583716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaTheHank/pseuds/AnnaTheHank
Summary: On a Small Farm in Michigan, a woman tries to provide for the masses of androids.On a Small Farm in Michigan, a man tries to come to terms with his past.On a Small Farm in Michigan, love starts to bloom.





	1. Anytime

**Author's Note:**

> For the DBH rarepairs week  
> They are the cutest  
> each day will be a chapter

Hank pulled up to the little farmhouse at the end of the lane. He double checked the address on his phone, then looked back up at the house. It was a bit small, he thought, to be a halfway home for androids. But he figured maybe if it had a basement, it wouldn’t be too bad.

He got out of his car, small flakes of snow mixing into the gray of his hair. He crunched his way through the snow, noting how the sidewalk, littered with footprints, could use a shoveling. He knocked on the front door, the soft murmurings behind it stilling.

The door creaked open, and a young woman stared at him. “Who are you?”

“Uh, Hank Anderson,” he said. “Connor sent me.”

“You need to go see Rose,” the woman said. “She’s around back.”

The door slammed shut and Hank sighed. He immediately regretted letting Connor rope him into this. All he had said was that he wanted to help the androids more, now that he knew how human they were. He pictured helping organize rallies or hiring more androids at the DPD, not going out to the middle of nowhere and just, “helping around the house” as Connor had put it. Hank wasn’t even sure how Connor knew about this place.

There was a small greenhouse in the backyard, standing strong next to the dead fields of winter. A woman was cutting logs next to it, breathing out with a soft yell when she drove the ax into the wood.

Hank walked up and cleared his throat. The woman startled, then turned around. Hank tried to fight the flush that rose to his cheeks as the woman’s warm eyes landed on him.

“Yes?” she asked, her song a beautiful melody. “Can I help you.”

“Actually,” Hank took a step closer, “I’m here to help you. I’m Hank Anderson.”

“Oh, yes.” The woman smiled, and Hank swallowed hard. “Connor said you would be coming. I’m Rose.” She held out a hand to him and he took it, his own hand shaking slightly. “I really appreciate the help. It’s been a bit rough with my son gone.”

“Can I ask what happened?” Hank said, fearing any response.

“He’s decided to stay with his uncle in Canada for a bit. There’s still a few androids up there and,” she smiled, a few tears forming in her eyes, “he wanted to keep an eye on them, make sure they were safe.”

Hank couldn’t help but share her smile. “Sounds like a great kid.”

“He really is.”

“Well, uh, I can do that for ya, if you want.” Hank nodded to the pile of wood, already stepping towards the ax stuck in the one log.

“You don’t mind?” Rose asked, looking to the side a bit. 

“Oh, uh, not at all.”

Rose nodded at him. “Thank you.”

Hank nodded back, picking up the ax and driving it into the wood, splitting the log in half. Rose hummed softly and Hank looked back, catching her eyes drifting over his body. She turned to go into the house, giggling under her breath, and Hank’s face wasn’t just red from physical exertion

-

About twenty minutes of log cutting later, Hank was back to regretting his decision to help. He shivered, deciding he needed to get somewhere warm before he caught hypothermia from how much he was sweating.

He knocked on the backdoor of the house and Rose’s melodic voice called out, “Come on in!”

He knocked the snow off his boots and shrugged off his coat, looking around at the small kitchen. Rose wandered in, smiling at him. 

“Would you like some coffee?”

There was a burst of laughter from the living room.

“I would love some, thank you.”

Rose turned the coffee maker on and leaned against the counter, looking at Hank. “Have a seat,” she said. “You look like you’ve been working hard.”

Hank smirked a bit, not mentioning the few times he caught her looking at him out the window.

“So, uh,” he said, sitting down, “How exactly do you know Connor?”

“Kara introduced us,” Rose said. “She thought he might know some people who could help with the home, having the connections he has.” She chuckled. “Guess she was right.”

“I hope I can be more help,” Hank said. “I think it’s really great what you’re doing here. I mean, I didn’t always, you know, know things, but uh, ah…” Hank let his rambling fade away and luckily the coffee pot saved him by alerting them to its conclusion.

Rose poured him a mug and sat down at the table with him. There was another rumble of laughter and Hank looked over his shoulder, spying a group of androids sitting cuddled on the couch, pretending like they weren’t looking at him.

“Don’t mind them,” Rose said, her cheeks darkening a bit. 

“Well, uh,” Hank stood up, his body still a little cold, but his face hot, “I should probably get back to it. Can’t have you guys freezing over the winter now.”

He hurried out of the room, relaxing into the thump thump thump of steel on wood.

-

Hank spent the day doing various outdoor tasks, popping in every few minutes for warmth, ignoring the giggles from the androids as best he could. He shoveled the walkway and even dug out Rose’s truck. The sun was starting to set when he was getting ready to leave.

“I really did appreciate all the help,” Rose said. She fidgeted with her fingers, looking down at the ground. Her foot drew circles in the snow.

If Hank didn’t know better he would have thought she was flirting.

“No problem,” Hank said, clearing his throat. “You’ve got my number, feel free to call anytime. Really.”

Rose looked up at him, a sparkle in her eye. “I will,” she said.

Hank smiled at her, his heart beating quick in his chest. Rose stepped forward, leaning up a bit and placing a kiss to his cheek.

“Seriously,” Hank said, a warmth spreading through his body. “Anytime.”


	2. Adam

Hank and Rose sat on the couch, Rose settled into Hank’s side, head resting on his shoulder. It had been two months since they started dating. Early winter had turned to mid-winter, a hefty layer of snow on the ground. 

Hank had spent the morning shoveling the walkways around the farm and was now enjoying the peace and quiet of Rose’s company. Most of the androids were out, either working or visiting friends. It was the first time they had really been alone, and for that, Hank was grateful.

His relationship with Rose had developed slowly. They had only shared their first real kiss on New Year’s Eve, when Rose had grabbed him by the jacket, catching him off guard. He spilled his drink on her, but she just laughed it off, kissing him a second time. It was nice. It was perfect. It was just what Hank needed.

The sound of a car engine roared to life down the road. Rose gasped, sitting up straight, hand to her mouth. “He’s here.” She jumped up, running to the door.

Hank followed her, stretching his muscles as he walked. They waited at the door as the cab dropped Adam off, the teen holding a bag strapped to his shoulder.

Rose yelled out excitedly and ran out the door, rushing up to wrap the young man in a hug. Hank grabbed her coat and followed her out.

The mother and son were laughing, holding each other tightly. Hank stayed behind, smiling at the scene, trying not to let it bother him.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Rose said, bouncing on her feet a little. She pulled away, placing a big kiss to Adam’s cheek.

“Missed you too,” Adam said, blushing a bit and wiping his cheek.

Hank handed Rose her coat. “Oh yes. Adam, this is Hank,” she said, wrapping an arm around his waist.

“Hey,” Adam said, readjusting the bag on his shoulder.

“Nice to meet you too,” Hank mumbled, shoving his hands in his pocket.

“Let’s get inside,” Rose said, shining her smile between the two of them.

She led them to the house, Adam slumping behind. They shook the snow off and hung up their coats.

“I’m gonna go unpack,” Adam said, rushing upstairs before waiting for a response.

“I’m sorry about him,” Rose said, staring at the stairs. “He’s still not used to the idea of his mother being a real person.”

Hank chuckled. “Ah, it happens.” But it had never happened with him. With Cole. He had died before his teenage angst years. But Hank had to stop himself from thinking about that. He cleared his throat. “I’ll go make some coffee.”

-

“Maybe I should go,” Hank said. He and Rose sat at the table, empty coffee mugs in hand.

“Nonsense,” Rose said. “He’ll come around.”

“It’s his first day back. I don’t want to ruin it. You guys should spend some time alone together.”

Rose sighed. “Maybe you’re right. I’m so sorry.”

Hank stood up, putting their mugs in the sink. “Don’t worry about it. I get it.” He wondered briefly if he should tell Rose about Cole, but he figured that now wasn’t the time.

Rose walked him to the door, kissing him gently as he went outside, hugging him a little extra tight for warmth. Hank’s boots crunched through the icy snow. He spotted a figure on a bench near the edge of the fields. He wandered over.

“Thought you were in your room all this time,” Hank said.

“Needed some fresh air,” Adam mumbled back.

“Did you, climb out the window or something?”

Adam shrugged. Hank thought maybe he should leave, but the dad in him convinced him to stay. He sat down on the bench, Adam scooting away a bit.

“I know it can be difficult to see your mom dating again.” Adam rolled his eyes. “But I like to think that I make her pretty happy. And isn’t that something you want for her?”

“Yeah,” Adam mumbled. 

“So then what’s with the attitude?”

Adam frowned, crossing his arms and looking away.

Hank grumbled. “Look, I get it. You don’t want to talk to some strange man about your problems. Just, promise you’ll talk to Rose about it? She’s a good person.”

“I know she is.”

Hank nodded and stood up.

“I just,” Adam started. Hank stood still. The young man sighed. “I know she still loves dad. But it just feels wrong.”

“I understand. You know, my wife died a handful of years ago. It still feels weird to date. But, the truth is, it’s easy enough for someone to have love for more than one person. Loving someone new doesn’t lessen the love you have for the first person.”

Adam shrugged. “You can go now, you know.”

“Oh, well thank you, your lordship,” Hank said, giving a mock bow.

As he was turning to leave he saw the small hint of a smile on Adam’s face.


	3. Stars

It was time, Hank decided. Five months had been long enough to keep things hidden, to not share absolutely everything with Rose. He had spent so long convincing himself that he wasn’t lying, that the subject of Cole had just never come up. But there were plenty of opportunities for him to have mentioned it. And it was time.

“I certainly hope you aren’t taking me out here to murder me,” Rose said, looking out the window and giggling.

Hank chuckled back. “Well now that you guessed it…”

They laughed together and continued to drive through the night, headlights illuminating the dense trees around them. Eventually, they reached a small cliff, a break in the woods overlooking the river and beyond it, the bursting lights of Canada.

“Oh, Hank,” Rose said, sitting up and looking at it through the windshield. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes,” Hank said, staring at the way her face lit up, “it is.”

They got out and Hank grabbed the picnic basket and blanket from his trunk, laying it out on the ground. They sat down, resting against each other, staring up at the night sky, a crowd of stars dancing for them.

“Well, Mr. Hank,” Rose said, turning slightly, fingers toying with the edge of his jacket. “This is quite the romantic evening.”

“You deserve it,” Hank said. He looked down a bit. “You deserve the best. Better than anything I could give you.”

Rose tilted her head forward, grabbed Hank’s chin and forced him to look at her. “You give me more than I could ask for,” she said. She kissed him. “I’m happier with you than I ever thought I could be since Ryan.”

Hank smiled at her, amazed at how she still had the ability to make him blush. “I, uh, I never thought I’d ever meet someone I could love again.”

“You were in love before?” Rose leaned against him, nestling her head under his chin.

“Married,” Hank said. He cleared his throat a bit. “She, uh, well she died. Giving birth.”

Rose’s head rose up a bit. “You have a child?”

“Had.”

“Oh, Hank.”

“Ah, it’s alright.” He straightened up a bit, looking out at the stars. “It was a while ago.”

“I can’t even imagine.” Rose grabbed his hand, misty eyes studying his face. “God, if I lost Adam, I’d be a wreck.”

“I was.” Hank bit back his own tears. “For a long time. But things have been improving. Connor’s been a real boost to morale. And meeting you has just...I can’t even begin to explain how much better my life is with you.”

Rose gently cupped his face, pulling him into a soft kiss. “I’m glad I can help.”

They smiled at each other and leaned back, holding hands as they watched the sky.

“Do you believe they’re up there somewhere?” Rose asked, nodding to the stars.

“It’s kind of funny. I used to think that was a dumb concept, humans turning into stars and all that. But I used to tell it to Cole all the time about his mother. And then when Cole….well, there’s something comforting about it I guess.”

Rose nodded. She pointed off to the left. “That’s Ryan right there.”

“You’re kidding,” Hank said, glancing at her. She shook her head. Hank huffed a laugh. He pointed to the pairing of stars right next to where she had pointed. “That's them.”

“Wow,” Rose said, chuckling softly. “I bet they’re great friends.”

“Yeah,” Hank said. He increased his grip on her hand. “I wonder if they’re happy for us.”

“I know they are.”

They shared another kiss and stared at the twinkling smiles of their loved ones.


	4. Party

Hank had never been fond of parties, but something about having a family made him soft. One of the androids that had been staying at Rose’s had just been voted a new city council, one of the first handfuls of androids to be admitted to a government job.

It was a big deal. Everyone was there. Rose’s brother and his family had come down from Canada, those deviants that Connor and Hank had spent their time chasing showed up, even a few human government officials were there.

In other words, it was exhausting.

It was a cool summer evening, and Hank and Adam had spent the day stringing up lights and setting up tables out back so everyone could enjoy the breeze.

“It’s getting pretty crowded up there,” Rose said, carrying an empty tray into the kitchen. 

Hank, busy making a new batch of lemonade, glanced at her. “That’s what happens when you nurture and support people. Others take notice.”

“I can hardly take credit for Ben’s achievements,” Rose said, smiling and setting the tray down. 

“You helped him get there.” Hank abandoned his station, walking over and wrapping his arms around Rose, leaning his chin on her shoulder. “You do so much for them, Rose. I’m in awe of you.”

Rose chuckled, blushing. She spun around in Hank’s arms, wrapping her own around his neck. “I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

“Yeah, you could have.”

“Well, maybe.” Rose leaned forward and kissed him gently. “But I still appreciate all the help you have given.”

Hank grinned at her and kissed her back. “Anything for you, my dear.”

“Well, I think you’ve done enough for the day. Rose smoothed down the front of Hank’s shirt. “Why don’t you go out and enjoy the party?”

“Enjoy and party do not belong in the same sentence.”

Rose chuckled and sent him on his way. He hung out with Connor for a bit, standing by and trying to keep track of the political discussions he was having with the other androids. It was all a bit over his head. 

As the sun set in full, Hank noticed there was a light on in the house, one of the bedrooms upstairs. He snuck away from the party, completely unnoticed, and went to investigate.

He heard one small voice talking softly as he crept down the hallway. The door at the end of the hall was cracked open, light spilling out. Hank stood next to it, opening it slightly, peeking in. 

A young girl that Hank had been introduced to earlier that day was sitting on the floor, holding a fox stuffed animal and talking to herself as she bounced it around in the air. 

The door creaked as it opened further, and the little girl looked up, startling when she saw him.

“Ah, sorry,” Hank said, stepping into the room. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Alice, right?”

The girl held the fox tight to her chest, drawing her knees up. She nodded, staring at him.

“What are you doing alone up here? Don’t you want to be at the party?”

“I don’t like crowds,” Alice whispered. 

Hank chuckled softly. “You and me both.”

Alice tilted her head, looking at him with curious eyes. “Do you...want to play with me?”

Hank figured it was better than returning to the confusing conversations with strangers downstairs. He sat on the ground next to Alice, grunting slightly at the effort, and leaned up against the bed.

“What’s that you got there?” Hank asked, nodding to the book next to her.

“Alice in Wonderland,” Alice said, holding it up to him. “It’s my favorite.”

“Hm.” Hank took the book from her, flipping through the pages. “It is a classic.”

“Will you read it to me?” Alice asked. She sat on her knees, wide and pleading eyes staring at him.

“Why not?” Hank said, smiling at her. 

Alice giggled and crawled around to sit next to him, resting her head against his arm. He cleared his throat and started to read, doing his best to mimic character voices. He hadn’t totally lost his parenting instincts.

-  
Connor, Luther, and Kara had graciously agreed to stay after the part to help with the cleanup. Meanwhile, Rose went upstairs to check on Alice.

“Shhh,” Alice said as Rose walked through the door. “He’s sleeping.”

Alice was still leaning against him, now holding the book in her lap. Hank was hugging the fox plush, snoring softly as his head rocked side to side against the bed.

Rose chuckled. “Did you two have fun up here?”

“Yeah,” Alice said, climbing onto her knees. “He’s really good at reading books. Until he falls asleep that is.”

Rose reached down and gently shook him awake. Hank startled to life with a snort, looking around, trying to remember where he was.

“Oh, uh, sorry. Must have dozed off.”

“That’s okay,” Alice said. Hank handed her back the toy. “You were good company.”

Hank smiled at her and Rose helped him to his feet.

“I’m gonna ask Kara and Luther if we can come visit more often. It’s fun.” She raced out of the room, bounding down the stairs.

“Let’s get you in bed,” Rose said, grabbing Hank’s arm and walking him down the hall.

“Nah. I’ll help clean up.”

“Nonsense. You helped set everything up. Let us handle clean up.”

Hank started to argue, but he gave in to his tired eyes, leaning his head against Rose’s. “Yeah, alright.”


	5. A strange story never fully told

It was a strange series of events leading to Hank waking up in the hospital. He only wished he could remember them. His eyes felt puffy, and it was difficult opening them. His heart beat in sharp beeps. A gentle pressure on the back of his hand delivered life-saving fluids. 

Hank turned his head. Rose was slumped in a chair next to the hospital bed. Her coat was draped over her and she was breathing deeply, lost to sleep. 

Connor was behind her, hands folded behind his back, pacing the length of the room slowly. He reached the far wall and spun around on his heels. He stopped, eyes landing on Hank. His LED was a deep red. It blinked to yellow, then cycled to blue as he rushed over.

“Hank,” he said. He fell to his knees on the other side of the bed, grabbing Hank’s hand. “Thank god you’re awake!”

At this, Rose mumbled and opened her eyes. She shot up straight, her coat falling to the floor and leaned forward, grabbing Hank’s other hand.

“What happened?” Hank asked. His voice came out dry, yet somehow gargled.

“You slipped on a pile of banana peels and hit your head on a counter,” Connor explained. “They weren’t sure you were ever going to wake up!”

“I what?” He was becoming aware of a headache radiating from his left side. 

“It’s a long story,” Connor said. “Who knew he had a monkey right?”

Hank squinted at him, too tired to try and figure out what the hell Connor was talking about. His attention was drawn to Rose, who was crying and rubbing his hand between her own. He managed a weak smile. “Hey, beautiful.”

Rose choked out a laugh. She shifted forward, cupping Hank’s face in her hands. “I thought I had lost you,” she said, sniffling.

“It takes more than-apparently a monkey- to get rid of me,” Hank said. 

Rose smiled and stood up a bit, leaning over Hank and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“How long was I out?” Hank asked, turning to Connor.

Connor shook his head. “A week.”

“Fuck.”

The door to the room opened and Adam walked in, holding two styrofoam cups. “Hey, mom. I got you some coffee.” The three of them looked at him. “Glad to see you up.” He walked over, handing Rose a cup. “Uh,” he held the other one out to him. “Coffee?”

Hank tried to chuckle but he just coughed instead. “Thanks, but no. You enjoy it.” Hank looked between Rose and Connor. “Have you guys been here all this time.”

“Only when the staff couldn’t force them out,” Adam told him.

Hank smiled. “I love you guys.”

“And we love you,” Rose said, grabbing his hand again.

“I love you, too,” Hank said, rolling his head to the side and looking up at Adam.

“Ah, jeez.” Adam rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. “I guess, you aren’t terrible.”

“High praise,” Rose said, laughing. She turned back to Hank, running a hand over his arm. “Don’t do anything stupid like that ever again.”

“I promise,” Hank said. “The next time I see a -giant pile of banana peels- I won’t try to run over them.”

“In his defense,” Connor pipped up. “He couldn’t exactly see them with the blindfold on.”

Hank and Rose both looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. “Okay, what the hell happened?” Hank asked.

Connor opened his mouth, then shut it. “You know, it’s probably best if you don’t know. I know I wish I could forget it.”

Hank chuckled, reaching over and ruffling Connor’s hair. “Never a dull day at work with you around, huh?”

“I like to keep things interesting.”

“Well, things are going to be a lot less interesting from here on out,” Rose said. She started adjusting the pillow’s Hank was laying on and smoothing down his blankets. “I just started getting used to you, mister. No way you’re leaving me now.”

Hank managed a real laugh. “Yes, my darling. Desk duty and low profile interrogations from here on out.”


	6. Camp

Hank carried the last box in, the one labeled “stuff”, and set it down on the nearest pile. He hadn’t realized how much stuff he had until it was packed up in boxes and shoved in Rose’s living room. 

“What a wonderful labeling system you have,” Rose said, chuckling as she opened the box and started to dig through it.

“What can I say? You’re living with a genius now.”

Sure, the commute to work was literal hell, but it was worth it to spend all his spare time with Rose and Adam. He let Connor keep his old house, and the android came around on the weekends. It was a good little setup. 

Hank had never thought he’d be this happy again.

“Wait,” Rose said, pulling a tattered and dusty t-shirt. She held it up to the sunlight, gasping at it. “You went to Camp Wanono?” She turned the shirt around, showing it off to him.

“Oh, yeah. I used to be a counselor there during the summers for some extra cash.”

“No way,” Rose said. She gasped. “Wait. Wait a minute. Wait a minute!”

She dropped the shirt and rushed upstairs. Hank stared after her for a moment, then shrugged, turning back to his box of albums and pulling them out carefully. 

Rose pounded back down the stairs a moment later, holding a scrapbook in her arms. She stopped next to him, giggling excitedly. Hank couldn’t help but smile at her. She was fucking adorable.

She flipped through the books, pictures of kids and teen at the old camp Wanono grounds. “Hank Anderson?” she said. She landed on a group picture of everyone. She pointed to a young man, tall and well built, with a short crop of blond hair. “That Hank Anderson?”

Hank looked at his own face, mouth slightly a gap. “We were at the same camp together?”

Rose nodded her head in fast movements, jumping up and down a bit. “Not just that! Do you remember the group of girls who tried to sneak into the boy’s cabin by pretending they were foreign exchange campers who arrived late?”

Hank took a step back, realization across his face as he pointed at her. “That was you?”

Rose laughed. “Yes! All of the girls had such a major crush on you! We came up with that plan to try and get a peek of you with your shirt off.” She was laughing heavily now, her eyes starting to tear up.

“This is insane!” Hank said, looking back at the picture. He recognized the young Rose right away, over to the left, smiling a wide, gap-toothed grin. “You had a crush on me?”

“Oh, we all did! Didn’t you ever notice the constant string of girls following you around all the time?”

Hank shrugged. “I always figured I was just a really good counselor.”

Rose chuckled and grabbed Hank’s waist, pulling him over for a kiss. Then she giggled. “I’m kissing Hank Anderson,” she said. “Oh, the other girls are gonna be so jealous.”

Hank smiled at her, loving the way her eyes shone in their happiness. “Well, let them be jealous.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “Cause you got me, babe. And I’m not going anywhere.”


	7. Proposal

Hank bit his lip, fidgeting with the velvet box in his hands. He looks down at it, worried. Connor’s hand lands on his shoulder. He’s smiling but Hank can’t stop his jaw from chattering to smile back.

“It’s going to be okay,” Connor said. “She loves you.”

Hank sighed, slipping the box in his coat pocket. “God,” he said. “I hope you’re right.”

-

They go to their favorite restaurant, leaving Connor and Adam at the movies for ‘brother night’, which, surprisingly, had been Adam’s idea. The place is decorated for the fall, yellows and oranges everywhere, fake leaves in every crook and cranny. It’s still warm out, so Hank asks for an outside table.

Rose smiles at him, her eyes shining in the string lights hanging from the side of the building. Hank’s heart swells, his chest practically rising to the sky. She looks so perfect and beautiful. And Hank can’t believe his own luck that she’s there with him. 

He pulls her chair out for her, and she smirks at him, eyeing him as he takes his own seat.

“Quite the romantic evening,” she says, her eyes flickering with flirt.

“You deserve only the best,” Hank told her. “I only wish I could do this for you every night.”

“It would get tiring,” she told him. “I’m perfectly happy with a quiet night at home.” She chuckled. “Not that it’s ever quite at our house.”

Hank chuckled. “I like it though. Keeps life interesting.”

They ordered their food, made small talk about work and the farm as they ate. 

“I’m glad Adam and Connor seem to be getting along so well,” Rose said as the waiter cleared their plates. “It’s nice to see him getting out more. Connor’s a good influence. He was talking about college the other day.”

“He’s a smart kid,” Hank agreed. “And the influence goes both ways. Connor seems more at ease these days, less stressed and worried about everything. I think Adam’s been teaching him how to chill out.”

They shared a laugh. Hank fumbled around, feeling the box in his pocket, his back beginning to sweat as the anxiety set in. He cleared his throat, standing up. It’s been a long time since he’s done this, and he hoped he didn’t screw it up.

“Rose,” he said, getting down on one knee, next to the table.

“Hank,” Rose replied, eyeing him with a smile.

Hank coughed, licked his lips, took a controlled breath. He looked into her eyes, and all his nerves seemed to melt away. 

“When Carol died, I didn’t think I would ever find love again. And when Cole died, I didn’t think I would ever find happiness again. But I have. Because I found you. You have given me more hope for the future than I ever thought I would have. You make life interesting and meaningful. I’ve never met a heart like yours, and, I hope,” he took a deep breath, pulling the box out and opening it, presenting the modest ring to Rose, “that I can be a part of your life until my own ends. Rose, will yo-”

“Yes!” Rose interrupted. She was crying gently, hands clasped before her wide smile. “I will absolutely marry you.”

Hank felt the weight of the world slip off his shoulders. They stood up together, and Hank slipped the ring on Rose’s finger, a little hard with how both of their hands were shaking. They were both crying at this point.

“I love you so much,” Rose said. She cupped Hank’s hands in her own. “You have so much love to give, my dear. And I couldn’t be happier that you’ve decided to share it with me.”

They kissed under the stars, soft music playing in the background. It was a night neither of them would forget, not for the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!! Hank/Rose is one of my favorite rarepairs and I'm glad I was able to share them with you all <3


End file.
